I love pool. Dammit I think I'm obsessed

you forgot that Efren commands the Cue ball on where to go. ...Its a Kinda Magic"

I like how you switched from elbow to intent, very sneaky lol but that’s what most players need to hear. 😎👍

Efren’s small stroke looks like he’s cocking a gun and he’s ready to fire. That’s one thing about his game that’s always been admirable - when he gets down for a shot, he’s bringing full commitment to it. He won’t come off the shot or hesitate out of fear - it doesn’t matter how crazy a shot he’s visualized, he’s going to send it.

I remember about two years ago I changed everything about my game to try and be text book... I was a natural at the game potting balls came natural to me when I started to get deeper into pool watching vids reading books I changed my game and it was the worst decision I made my game took a nose dive I was so focused on stance and all that other stuff potting the ball became hard... Untill I decided to start to practice how I felt natural and delivering the cue straight my game shot rite back up and has been on the rise

Everyone's body, brain and personality is different. The only fundamental that matters is this....can you deliver the cue tip accurately to the cue ball and stroke straight through the ball and repeat it over and over. Efren, Earl, Bustamante, Buddy Hall. All stand different, different head height, grip, stroking motion. Buddy pauses on backstroke, Earl, 1,2,3 pop, Efren no pause, Bustie is a thing of his own. But they all deliver the cue straight through the ball accurately every time. How you achieve this does not matter. The cue ball doesn't care about your text book fundamentals. Take the basic idea of 'fundamentals' and then make it your own and what feels best to you.

I love your videos. It's refreshing to hear about what works, rather than mimick someone who looks good.

I watched your vid a few months ago, and I’ve been experimenting with the elbow and shoulder positions. One thing that’s happened is that I can break much more accurately using a laid back elbow. The slightly side-arm position is much easier to control for some reason. It also seems to work better on long shots rather than short, soft shots, so I use it interchangeably with my normal straight alignment. This is turning out to be one of those very useful pieces of information. Thanks!

He has consistency in his game with his style and I believe consistency is one of the most common traits world champions have.

holy crap dude, first time on your channel. GREAT stuff! Subscribed.

Great stuff. Whatever stroke works for you. I like your analysis and looking forward to other vids

Efren becomes the topic for young generations. Long live the GOAT!

I've played multiple sports in my younger days and trained in a few. What I can tell based on my own experience is that technique is useful when teaching to a beginner. This helps in multiple ways and helps them understand the basics and learn properly. Once they pass the beginner stage, however, their individual traits begin to assert themselves and they go from general to specific behavior that's particular to them. For the few that do advance to the advanced stage, the peculiarities of their own physique and personality leave a strong imprint on their game. Some remain purely technical from their earlier days and some get highly personalized. In the end, it's about what works for you. Technique, balance, and other foundational elements are more of guidelines to help get started rather than mathematically precise formulas that one must to adhere to no matter what.

Another good video Bob. Well done.

Thank you for a fantastic perspective. I have been studying strokes and correcting my bad habits. I have been practicing tight-angle side pocket shots to help me see if I am hitting the exact spot every time. It seems to allow me to visually see how precise I am hitting the ball. Thank you again for great tips. Efren Reyes is my favorite also.

Yes! I enjoyed it. It was awesome. Cheers Bob.

For alot of the pros that you talked about the players started playing pool while really young. What im getting at is they were to short for the table when developing thier stroke which leads to them developing a side arm stroke. This is especially true for alot of the Filipino players. Muscle memory has aloud them to maintain that stroke with minimal problems but over all it is definitely not recommended if you want consistancy with your stroke. Players who are trying to elevate thier game should do everything in thier power to get rid of any wooble meaning inside elbow position or outside elbow position.

Most important thing is find what's comfortable for you and what works with you and always have confidence in your shot making

Thanks for your humble approach. I love pool, am in a league and am still a 3.

Awesome video! I'm a massive snooker fan who's just getting into American pool, and ome thing I found interesting was always efren's stroke style (and elbow), so this video was very informative for me! Interesting point regarding the snooker players: one of the players shown in the video as an example of good cue and elbow alignment was Judd Trump (arguably the best in the world over the last 3 years). And it's 100% correct that in the photo he was in alignment. However the interesting thing with his stroke, is that his cue actions is in fact very far from straight. Essentially, he aims the cue off-line when getting down on the shot, and pushes it through off line on the other side (almost a sort of diaganol accross movement). Most of the time, this sort of thing would seem like it would result in a miss, however at the singular point in the stroke when his cuetip contacts the cue ball, it is all perfectly aligned. Most young players would have probably corrected their cue action (or been told to), but somehow he mastered the timing of his uniquely imperfect stroke and is able to pull off shots nobody else in the game can. And he's done pretty well in the game with title wins to say the least. Anyway, random tangeant aside, brilliant video!

Terrific stuff 👍

Good stuff. Great video.

After taking a week or so of paying attention to my elbow, I'm actually starting to make shots the way I thought I should have been the whole time. Thanks for the help!

There’s no doubt that Efren is the greatest and the best cueist to ever live , The way he sets up for the shot and the way he shoots is the same as me, I shoot the same as Efren and what I like about it it’s not forced it’s natural , even when I was younger I was cueing the same before I knew any pool players , I’m glad it’s that way , cause most people grip their cue hard , I grip it loose and it works for me

Another thing with Efren Reyes is his height. His hip is almost in level to most of the pool tables. He does not need to bend his knees and to rely on his own intertia for stability. He just need to spread his legs a bit and be firm on his position on the ground. For most of his shots, he makes shots from feet up to his hands (unless he kneels or sits on top of the table for some shots). This contributed to his style.

I like how you put your video together!I'm a very visual learner and your side by side examples with your narration were perfect.alot of videos out there are too technical for me and I lose interest. This was very informative and at my pace,thank you!subscribed!

Thoughtful and Well Made _ Cheers~

Intent.. Tell yourself you'll middle a ball, and you most likely will miss.. do the opposite.. Great work

I'm in my 80s. I changed from standard cue length of 58" to 62" about 4yrs ago. My grip is mostly light on tension, but fuller finger wrap..true. At 5'-11" my stance are 2 bent knees with butt up to ease the lowering of chin near cue. (sort of riding a horse). Where to grip: Tip to Bridge hand abt 10". Forearm perpendicular when/tip on CB. Bridge hand exactly Mosconi config., thx to hand size. Occasionally a Sigel style. Mosconi gives me best position/speed. Cueing, stop/stare, tip near CB, ck the Ghost ball space. Pump then pull back and trigger. So, that's my routine: GRIP/BRIDGE/STANCE/CUEING/AIM. Stroke is natural, if you do all else correctly. My vision (1 unsable R eye), L is one Dry/AMD eye. Love the game. Each week, usually get half dozen 8 ball run outs. I comment here, because it's clear you're a student and addict like me. Truly, my REVO has been a blessing. It's taken about 5mos to adjust, but worth every cent. My A-REDS keep me going, with my 30+ yr old coke bottle glasses. 15 pair, only specs that see round ball instead of eggs. Willie Hoppe had PURE side stroke. TO ME, MY LEFT ELBOW MAKES MY GAME. MY SELF IMAGE SEES SVB. MY BUDS SAY IM HUMBLE. (SORRY) Straight pool, Rules! PS: Teach kids TANGENT LINES.

Very enjoyable thank you.

Great Video, thank you

There is multiple ways to make beef stew, but in the end it’s still beef stew and whatever works best for you!

Great video again, thanks. I’m always conscience of where my elbow is positioned. Not sure if I get it correctly every time

excellent video.

I have loosened my grip...it has made o world of difference on my game. It has given me a much smoothet stroke and more cue action. I have noticed that most of the local good pool players also have real loose grips. I still need to practice this loose grip to improve my game to a higher level. It will come with time.

Cue stick length has a huge impact. Short cues make it hard for alignment unlike the long ones

Wow, this one change was transformational for me!

great video thanks

Will say position of the cue ball in relation to the table no doubt can change stroke & stance technique.

Great insight here. I recently made a change with elbow position and it did wonders. Roughly a yr ago I started playing again after a 15 yr break (pool & snooker), in my prime (20's) I was an A player. But since I started back I would have days where I just couldn't seem to stroke straight plus my cue didn't feel comfortable in my back hand which led to lots of frustration. I knew my problem was something fundamental. What turned my game around is I now have my elbow slightly closer to my body and now I'm playing fairly close to my prime. Since making this recent change I am much more consistent plus I'm enjoying the game so much more. Folks if you're struggling go see a local pro, I also suggest videoing yourself (at the very minimum a front view and rear view) to see your stroke in action, it'll definitely help.

Enjoyed the video. My opinion is that pros practice daily and can figure out how to shoot straight with anything. If you want to take time away, alignment is your best friend. Cuts way down on the work. I think your back toe, shoulder and elbow should all be on the cue line

Well done. Peace!

I think body structure affects a lot of this too. Tall, short, long neck, short neck, really wide shoulders or narrow, big chest or belly or small... many factors prevent a text book stroke even if you try.

Love this! Focusing to much on your stroke will absolutely throw off your game. Confidence is key. Thank you!

Love the content man! My all time pool hero is Willie Mosconi! I’ve seen the great pool shoot out between him and fats, I’ve seen some matches he did from the 80’s and 90’s and also his older instructional video. I’m always on the prowl for new footage of Mosconi! If you have any, would love to see!! My dream fund would be any footage of a younger mosconi Running racks of 14.1!!

Yes, pre shot routine is the most importance of the shot, however on the elbow part I have analyzed Efren in several occasions (live) and although a very loose swing including the rocky elbow the most importance is his consistency in doing it. Every (pool) player works on this stance / stroke / pre shot routine etc. but most important is to know what you do, how you do it and be able to repeat it in every shot. Then when you miss you can analyse what went wrong, and learn. Every player makes mistakes but only a few can tell you why

Had the same chicken shoulder, finally corrected it Now any miss I'm having is either my bridge hand isn't stable or my grip was too loose for too tight, will be working on those now. True it's great when a player has intent. It goes a long way even if you have a straight stroke and no intent you'll miss some easy shoots because your mind isn't made up.

Good Video. I have a hitch in my wrist that cocks it inward. I’ve been thinking the same thing. It only really matters that you stroke straight and develop consistency within the stroke

Efren is perfection of winning and loosing..

Thank you for the excellent video. If you watch Efren, you see his elbow go up and down, that means he is using a shoulder stroke for at least part of his stroke. I recall Willy Hoppe writing that he uses a shoulder stroke. Please comment. Thank you.

Thanks.

At 4:30 the reason people shoot side arm is because they are right handed left eye dominant or vise versa. Also height is a big factor . The shorter guys have elbow jacked back and the tall guys have elbow jacked to the side sometimes. People's body's are different but the tables are all level. So you will notice difference but only subtle

You make good content

Good stuff

Good point

I've recently started watching a lot of pool instructional videos and practicing a lot more. I can't afford sessions with an instructor and don't believe there are even any in my area. But, I've been focusing on correcting my stance, stroke, and visualization. It's taken several weeks, but even my league teammates are impressed with my improvement. I've started beating more players that are higher ranked than I am and was recently approached about joining another league by someone that we weren't even playing against.

Gen z is lucky they have videos like this, when I play pool I learned from experience. By the way I'm filipino

Great vid! I'm doing the the same as you after a break in playing. One observation, the upper body alignment you have , and others. Seems to be from planting the lead leg first, then moving the rear leg for alignment on the shot. You do this in the shots you recorded. This vs planting the rear leg first, then stepping into the shot ( and making room for the stroke/elbow etc. ) . Watch the women players, they are much more mechanical than the men, and their approach / address to the ball. Of course none of this means anything, which I learned shooting with some pros and watching them. They do nothing "correctly" and are amazing. Do what works for you 👍.

Thanks for posting this excellent video. I've noticed that "Shane" shifts his elbow to the right, just before completing a stroke. Also, notice how off the stroke line "Dennis Orcollo" positions his elbow. I saw "Willie Mosconi" play severals times, before he passed away. What I remember about "Mosconi" was how he "slip stroked" the cue (slid his grip hand back along the cue) from that kind of side arm position, before he stroked the cue ball.

good info here. Seems like every time i change my stoke or grip its better for a while. LOL. Its the thought that its better that's working .

Hey Bob, this is just a “shot in the dark”…BUT….if you feel your stroke is not straight try this tip I just received from a friend. When you grip your cue keep your thumb on you grip hand pointing down through the stroke. There is no waiver in the tip all the way through the stroke

Willie Hoppe recommended a shoulder stroke, at least for 3 cushion billiards. Efren's elbow goes up and down because he has a stroke which is a combination shoulder and elbow stroke.

Earl twists his wrist sideways when he hits the cueball. I have videos on my page from behind him when he came to my area this summer I have been using an ironing board and a mirror to see Myself down on the cueball. My elbow sticks out slightly. I can still play good, stroke straight etc. I have been trying to tweak things, but like jasmin said......its ok to leave it alone.

I've made alignment changes too and I've been seeing improvements it just takes some getting used to I line up slightly over my right eye and try to keep everything in line with that

shane is notorious for straightening his elbow right before shooting, but is in general very mechanically sound it frustrated me as a snooker player and student of the game to see a lot of pro pool players stances and techniques, but pool is a different game, honestly i think a lot of the shots come down to feel and a ot of people i know simply have bad mechanics theory wise but still shoot quite well, the pockets are generous enough to allow for a touch or left or right when trying to hit straight and most shots are played with side spin (sometimes, all shots are) and pool players just have their own way of doing things when analyzing mechanics, i wouldnt over think it and i would go straight to the big boys in snooker and do what i'm told, smile and nod, they know best frankly.

the side arm dudes is because of they started playing at a younger age to reach the shot.

I think these elbows are caused by sight in some cases. My coach told me my elbow is like 95% straight but getting it to 100% makes the cue feel like its under my left eye. I watched other players like Ko and Chang Jung lin and they seem to be at 95% too. It seems to me getting ur elbow as close to 100% is important but not imperative. Carlo Biado has a very inward elbow and hes a world champ

Human fundamentals evolve exponentially better with time in every sport (not just pool).

Blind in my bridge hand eye and I line up underneath my shooting hand eye.

I believe you must shoot how you are comfortable how your body naturally flows and you'll be a way better player concentrate on delivering the cue straight with good follow thru when needed... And as you alluded to clear intent when at the table if you're at the table thinking about your stance elbow head position shoulder position it matters not if all those are in your mind perfect if when you play the shot you miss...at the table focusing on everything but the shot infront of you is no good I found that out quickly

Anatomy varies from person to person. Be yourself, when you find out what that is and how to use its machine.

🤠

Bustamante also has a unique stroke

You should also keep your bridge arm straight as possible

You also need to look at Efren's right wrist. After studying his stroke I have been cocking my wrist ala Bata and it has improved my stroke. Any opportunity to see him shoot from the rear tells you that while it's a "loosey-goosey" stroke, it is repeatable and helps you control velocity of the cue.

Sidearm is usually because when they started playing they were very young and probably barely made it over the table ..if you watch young kids thats how they shoot if they dont have any training..hence the sidearm..McCready is the most pronounced

Thanks for this video. The only one I've seen on this topic. Well done. I also often wondered about Greenleaf's and Mosconi's side arm stroke. Do you have any copyright issues including these clips from many youtube videos? What are the copyright rules for this? Is it a fair use application and no problem?

After a lot of trial and error, I've found that the way a draw the cue back makes a big difference in my stroke accuracy. It seems my usual stroke, is/trying to be was, to bring my cue hand back and slightly around my body. My unfortunate finding make drawing the cue back straight back feels really weird. Creating the better habit of drawing back straight is going to give me angst to make it feel normal.

The player you forgot with the most pronounced elbow is Dennis Orcullo. His elbow is aligned way inside.

It Seems that pool is somewhat like golf, yes there are fundamentals. For most golfers they have variety in their swing,but they still strike the ball square. Body geometry has a Lot to do with it. Often I practice with a quick pace, often I purposely pull back and approach cue ball way off, then at the last moment I place tip exactly where I want it. I know it seems odd , but nevertheless I play better shape when I use English to pull the cue ball. On long shots I stick with fundamentals and practice the alignment and follow through. you can keep side spin out by hitting just low of center. Bottom spin negates side spin. You end up hitting stun shot down table, if shape does not require top to carry you back, or its the winning ball you will not scratch by keeping cue ball stationary at impact. I practice running balls with 0 spin, and this helps focus on your body angle at approach. Pool is a individual game, and different methods of practice teach you what not to do when your playing a match. I play 9 ball for the most part , and spend a lot of time on kick shots, banks and pulling cue ball with extreme spin, I am always trying to kick in the 9 ball or snooker my opponent. if I have a difficult shot that is low percentage, I think about what else can I do besides pocket the ball. It works for me, I have had great players just rake the balls with their stick.

I recently found your channel and enjoy watching. I was wondering what the name and location of the pool hall you are playing in. It looks like a nice place.

What you forget is that many super players have very different mechanics. The Philippino's have various styles. Some players shoot side arm. I have a wheelchair bound friend, who shoots lights out, side arm.

Elbow position goes back to when you first started playing pool, how tall were you? A 6 year old kid on a regular pool table is not tall enough to shoot with the elbow straight up over the stick. Some players never grew out of that position and some obviously did (Efren).

His elbow might be off but from wrist down to cue is straight as an arrow !!!!

I think it is misleading to look at how Efren's elbow is out of line. Efren has a slight bend to his wrist, his forearm is not straight, which is why the elbow ends up being off line. He has a straight line from the wrist to the knuckles. The biggest benefit of doing that in my experience, is that the back of the palm next to the pinky is less in the way in the follow through as it is more vertical, on the side of the cue, instead of above the cue. You can see it clearly in the right hand picture @ 6:01 from the back.

…. I played Efren a few years ago he is still a very, very great player!!!!! AND he still plays with a NO NAME cue!!!!!!!!

3:38 Ray Reardon. Cliff Thorburn is another snooker player (although played pool too) whose elbow turns out so that it points at 11 o'clock rather than 12.

You can see on the right at 7:30, there is a big gap between his head and left shoulder that's why the right shoulder is not pulling behind his head. Whereas with Efren the left side of his face is literally scraping his shoulder. Chicken winging the elbow is going to make it almost impossible to shoot without spin. Maybe a kid can learn to intuitively compensate. If you're not a child prodigy then good fundamentals are even more important.

Any advice on how to stop bending my wrist in at impact never realized I was doing til I recorded my self have always been a decent shot a 7 in apa but think I need to fix that after seeing it

Whar you are missing on Ralph and Willie is they used there shoulder to pivot instead of the elbow

Nice content! I've been conscious about my form while playing, sometimes I pay attention sometimes not... How about the way you grip the cue? Do you sometimes notice that it changes?

I was surprised at 9:05. Was waiting for how you are going to pocket the 9 and position for the 8.

It is God given to Efren got to know the fundamentals and mechanics of the game of pool,great eye steady pool stroke perfect position,knowing where the cue ball is going having fun is all that counts❤❤....

Excellent video, but the snooker player you mispronounced is Ray Reardon. Who now works with Ronnie O’Sullivan

As a taller player with wide shoulders and long arms, I have a hard time getting everything aligned. It seems like my shoulder is too far from my target line so my elbow has to chicken wing to get my hand back in line. It's terribly frustrating

Laid back stances are born from players starting very young and not being able to reach the table. In Shane's case he currently working on fixing this. If you look at videos of Shane you will notice that his elbow is laid off but on the transition from backswing to downswing he moves the shoulder to center.

Where do you play at in denver? I live in denver too. Looked like felt?

I have an issue with my tip going to the right

we all have a dominant eye, should your dominant eye be positioned directly over the shaft?

Probably has alot to do with the age they started playing. When your head is barely above the table kids have to use a sidearm stroke which they carry into their adult years